‘Tiger King’s Joe Exotic Is Under COVID-19 Quarantine In Prison

Netflix’s breakout docuseries Tiger King gifted us with a potent diversion amidst the global pandemic, and his name is Joe Exotic. The former zookeeper is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence after being convicted of hiring a hitman to try to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of a rival big cat park. He also accused Baskin of murdering her second husband and feeding him to her tigers.

On Wednesday, Andy Cohen interviewed Exotic’s fourth husband Dillon Passage on his SiriusXM show Radio Andy about the status of Exotic in prison during the coronavirus scare. Passage confirmed that Exotic is under special quarantine due to COVID-19.

We speak like three to five times every day, but since he’s been moved to this new facility, they are putting him on a COVID-19 isolation because of the previous jail he was at, there were cases. I’ve yet to speak to him since he moved.

Cohen then asked if Exotic was quarantined separately from the rest of the prisoners. “From what I know, yes,” said Dillon. “From what he told me.” Interesting. According to NBC, there are inmate records that reveal that Exotic has since been transferred from Oklahoma’s Grady County Jail to a medical center in Fort Worth that’s operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

It’s not uncommon for illnesses to spread in jail, where inmates live in close quarters. Last week, we learned that convicted rapist and Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein tested positive for COVID-19 while in prison. Whether or not Exotic himself has tested positive for COVID-19 is still unknown.